Distilled Hearts It's How We Breathe
by GreyEyesGlaringAtShonda
Summary: Cristina Yang was a mystery to him. He was used to loving mysteries, he always felt a delicious spark as each new clue was released, as each new fact was gathered, and he could finally grasp at the conclusion. Chapter two is up!
1. Mysteries

**Distilled Hearts (It's How We Breathe)**

**Chapter 1-Mysteries**

By greyeyedgirl

takes place after 2.22 "Name of the Game."

P.S.A:

Yeah. This is a public service announcement. Seriously. All of you need to p/m a person named PRESTINALUVR, because, according to her, she has stopped writing because CERTAIN PEOPLE kept yelling at her, others copied her storylines (fine. So this one was quite possibly me), and others still...sent her a bad p/m asking her to do something horrible (you know who you are, and so do I!). The idea of prestinaluvr not contributing lots and lots of BC fic is _not_ a nice one, so everyone needs to send her pretty, generous, complimentary (sucking up and bribes are fine, too) private messages, NOT rude ones, no shift key and $#& allowed, telling her that of COURSE we appreciate her hard work and brilliance, and we need her fanfic desperately, especially in these hard times in which we have to wait until April freakin thirtieth to see another new episode. : (

Okay. On to the story.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

chapter one: "Mysteries"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Cristina Yang was a mystery to him. He was used to loving mysteries, he always felt a delicious spark as each new clue was released, as each new fact was gathered, and he could finally grasp at the conclusion.

Mysteries were...intoxicating, they were mind-stretching, they weren't supposed to be heart-wrenching.

She was, though. He dug desperately for each clue, with her carefully hiding the book titled "The Life of Cristina Yang" behind her back, teasing him with her eyes, laughing out loud when he tried to reach for it. She was never going to let him read the whole thing, just sit down with his feet propped up and start at the beginning. She was going to allow him to grasp at pages, random tidbits from her past, try to piece it all together like the pieces of a puzzle, not even letting him see what the finished picture would be. How could you solve a puzzle like that?

She...was Jewish, she had grown up in Beverly Hills, she'd went to one of the highest regarded medical schools in the country and graduated top of her class. She could go from crying to holding him to being inquisitive to strolling through their apartment, naked. How on earth was he going to place those pieces together?

Preston Burke remembered staring at the doorway she had passed through, his mind putting two and two together. She had played him.

He had been played! By an intern!

A sexy, brilliant, mysterious intern who could take his breath away.

The next morning he had cornered her, itching for a new chapter, wanting so badly to read the subtext or the author's note or just find out what page he was on.

He had been able to hear the water spraying fiercely as he pulled back the curtain to the shower, he carefully released the towel he had wrapped spontaneously around his waist.

She turned, he got a glimpse of her face before he cupped her chin in his hand, kissing her as he stepped into the shower. She let out a little moan when he brushed closer, before wrapping her arms around his naked body, he could gently feel the soft touch of her fingers brushing against his back, then digging, leaving little cuts for the next morning. God, she was exhilarating. He left his eyes open for a few seconds, staring down into her searching orbs, her lips pushed against him and he slowly bent his head. Suddenly, the last thing on his mind was reading or puzzle pieces...

**The next morning:**

Cristina strolled into the opening doors of Seattle Grace Hospital, heading past the small lobby area and into the elevator. Izzie and George were already there, for a moment Izzie didn't seem to notice Cristina's presence, she was staring at George with a look of curiosity, the hint of sadness mingling in her eyes. She turned her head, though, noticing Cristina for the first time, and smiled, waving hello. Cristina managed a tight smile, curly hair hanging in front of her face, as she avoided George's searching look, an expression of awkwardness etched on every line of his face.

"Hold it, please!" George stuck his foot out to hold the elevator without thinking, and his flustered look seemed to portray his embarrassment at this, as he carefully avoided Burke's eye. The tall doctor stepped quickly into the elevator, taking his place next to Cristina, sending her a quick smile. "I forgot to tell you," Burke said quietly in her ear so no one else could hear, "But I've got something to talk to you about later."

Cristina turned to look at him curiously, one brow furled, but the elevators dinged open, and Burke strolled out, looking sideways down the hall as he exited.

Izzie looked down at Burke, then at George, then at Cristina. "What was that all about?" She asked curiously.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Seriously? _Seriously?_" Izzie sat laughing, her hair falling across her face as she leaned back in her chair at the lunch table. She glanced back at George, who was looking down at his food with a tight, awkward smile, then at Cristina, who was holding back a smirk, and laughing. "Seriously," she said quietly to herself.

"It was horrible," George said. He looked around, then back at Izzie, frowning. "I don't think I'm Burke's guy anymore!"

Cristina's smile grew as she moved her fork around in her food. Suddenly she seemed to remember something though, and her expression changed. Izzie turned to look at her. "So what does Burke want to talk to you about?" She asked. Cristina grimaced, not answering. "I have to go," she said, setting down her fork. Izzie glanced up at her, semi-surprised.

"Yeah, um, you know what? _Some_ of us have patients to see." Cristina rolled her eyes. "Seriously!"

Izzie looked contemplative, as she chewed slowly on her food, exchanging a glance with George. "Must be bad," she said, shrugging.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Cristina laid on the top bunk of the bed in the on-call room. She'd purposely picked an on-call room in a different wing, just for the fact that Burke would never think to look for her here.

Preston Burke turned the corner of the hospital, walking purposely into the on-call room he had watched Cristina enter minutes before, looking down the hall before she did so.

He swung open the door, entering the room, taking note of Cristina's exhausted appearance, making no noise as he did so, as Cristina's eyes remained close. He looked at her calmly for a few moments, before swinging upward, and kissing her softly.

Her eyes flew open, she moved to sit up, the hint of a smile in her eyes as her face became blank. "Hi," she said.

Burke smiled tentatively up at her. "Hi."

"What was that for?"

Burke continued to smile. "Do I need a reason?"

Cristina shrugged, her face seemingly focused on something else, before she laid back down again, closing her eyes and resting her hands under her head.

"So," Burke said quietly. "About before,"

Cristina clenched her eyes tighter, not responding, but before Burke could finish, a loud sound interrupted them, the sound of their two pagers going off in two unsynchronized, high-pitched beeps. They both reached for their pagers at the same time, looking down at the '991 ER,' before Cristina scrambled off of the top bunk, both of them racing for the door.


	2. Cupid's Machine Gun

Distilled Hearts (It's How We Breathe)

chapter two, "Cupid's Machine Gun."

By greyeyedgirl

"Woah," Isobel Stevens breathed, looking at the wreckage being wheeled into the OR. Cristina stood on her tiptoes, trying to see past Izzie's tall frame to where the action was, then pushed her out of the way, stepping forward.

"Ohhhh. Mine!" Cristina made a break for a nearby gurney, a man bleeding heavily from the head. At the same time, Burke noticed a man on the other side of the room, bleeding from the chest, and ran over.

"GSW to the chest, found at a restaurant after a shooting, we've got more coming in," The EMT pushed the gurney closer, as several people crowded around, one of them Dr. Burke. "Let's get this guy to the OR," Burke said, looking down. He glanced at the EMT momentarily. "Any one we should call?"

"My fiance's coming from the restaurant," The guy wheezed, obviously in a lot of pain. Burke looked down at him.

"All right, people, let's move."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Burke exited the Operating Room an hour and a half later, wiping the sweat from his brow. It had been a difficult surgery, more than he'd expected. The bullet had proved reluctant to be removed, and then there'd been damage to be repaired. The guy had made it, though. He was fine for now.

On the other side of the hospital, Cristina stood with Bailey, looking down over a man with severe head lacerations.

"Twenty-nine year old male, suffering from severe lacerations and a GSW to the head, it looks like it just grazed, right there? You can see it where it brushed the skull, then became enlodged in the left front?" Cristina pointed, somewhat eagerly, to the spot on the head spouting blood.

"All right, Cristina, go get the results from the labs," Cristina nodded to Bailey, rushing off. "It's all right," Bailey said to the patient, nodding her head. "Sir, can you tell me your name? Someone we should call?"

"Na-Nathan Burke," the man murmured, his face straining with pain. "I was supposed to meet my wife at the restaurant, we got separated, she was watching the kids...we're just visiting," he said. "I can give you her number at the hotel..."

"Does she have a cell phone? If she heard about the shooting, I'm sure she'll be worried..."

Nate nodded, muttering the numbers as Bailey took a pen. "Don't...tell her what happened, all right? That there's a bullet in my head. It'll freak her out, it'll freak the kids out. This is supposed to be a fun little trip, the kids have been here before, they love Seattle, we were going to visit my brother...he's a doctor here you know..."

Bailey looked up from where she'd been double checking the notepad. "Dr. Burke?"

"Preston. You know him?"

Bailey nodded, staring down at him, then tried to smile. "Well, you just relax, Mr. Burke. We're going to take good care of you."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Dr. Yang, I need to speak with you." Bailey was quiet as she took Cristina aside, Cristina looked at her, bewildered, as she held on to the labs she had just got back.

"Um...Dr. Bailey?"

"Cristina," Bailey said softly. Cristina just looked at her. "The patient's name. Our patient. His name is Nathan Burke."

Cristina stared at her blankly. "Um...okay..." She shook her head in confusion. Bailey looked down, pained.

"He said he's in town to visit his brother. A brother who...is a surgeon here, and his first name is Preston."

Cristina took a step backwards. "That's Burke's brother?"

Bailey nodded sympathetically. "I'm afraid so." She looked down. "You are...of course...excused from this case..."

"No."

Bailey looked up at her. "Excuse me?"

Cristina looked at her, her lips tight, trying to shrug it off. "No big deal. Burke's brother. It's no big deal, I can do this." She tried to smile. Bailey looked at her incredulously, before turning and stalking off. "_Interns_," she muttered to herself. "So _damn_ cocky..."

Cristina stared after her for a few moments, the forced, nonchalant smile frozen on her face.

"So. What time do you think you're going to get off tonight?"

Cristina jumped, spinning around.

"Burke!"

Burke smiled benignly, looking down. "You didn't answer the question. What have you got?"

"Um...a GSW."

Burke looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I figured," he said laughing.

"A guy. With a GSW. To the head. Very bad," Cristina said quickly, nodding, frowning as she spoke. Burke raised the other eyebrow.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you..." He paused. "Don't freak out, all right?"

Cristina looked at him.

"It's no big deal. But my brother-he's a few years younger, he's 29-he's coming to visit me next week, he's bringing his wife and kids, ---"

Cristina gaped silently at him. "Kids?"

"Two. Olivia's...almost four, I believe. Justin's the baby, he's only six or seven months."

Cristina just looked at him. Burke sighed, looking away.

"Cristina. This is not a huge, commitment-crazy opportunity I schemed up to make you feel trapped or nervous. I want you to meet my family."

Cristina didn't respond, then cleared her throat. "I didn't know you had a brother, that's all."

Burke smiled. "Yes. He's three years younger. I have a sister, too, Ashley, but she's older by a year."

"Oh," Cristina said, semi-casually, giving out a small nod. "And...Nate will be here next week?"

"Ye-" Burke broke off, staring. "I didn't say his name was Nate."

Cristina looked at him, her mind flashing. "Of course you did," she said, her voice curiously high pitched. "How else would I have known? God, Burke," she said, forcing a very fake-sounding laugh.

Burke tried to smile, but he couldn't keep the hint of a frown off his face, trying to think back to the conversation.

"So. I have a surgery. But I'll talk to you later, okay?" Cristina looked up at him, her voice the same uncharacteristic pitch.

Burke looked at her curiously. "You're taking this better than I thought you would."

Cristina looked at him with the same nonchalant, fake smile, shrugging. "I guess so," she said, smiling. "Well, you go home, if you're done. You look tired. I'll be there as soon as I scrub out."

Burke watched her for a moment, then nodded, turning away. "See you tonight, Cristina."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Hey," Cristina said softly to Nathan, as she followed the two doctors pushing the gurney into the OR. "We called your wife, she's on her way, but we really couldn't wait any longer for the surgery. She said to tell you she loves you."

Nate managed a weak smile as the anesthesiologist pushed the anesthesia.

"It'll be okay," Cristina said. "Just close your eyes, and count backwards to ten..."


	3. Trumpet Playing and Family

Distilled Hearts (It's How We Breathe)

chapter 3

by greyeyedgirl

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

His tongue slid in and out of the soft skin, as he blew lightly against the cooling material, soft bursts erupting.

Da duhn da duh duh duhn---

The short, jazzy tunes escaped from the bell of the trumpet, as Burke quickly inhaled, continuing the tonguing for the staccato notes as the melody released out into the room.

The cool metal was soothing against his burning lips, he wetted them quickly one final time as he got prepared for the grand finale.

_DAAAAAA_ duhn! _Da_ duhn _daaaaaaa_ duuuuuuhnnnnnn.

The ringing broke through with the final notes. Burke dropped his trumpet onto the couch, taking out the mouthpiece hazardly. His rhythm was off. That high G wouldn't come out. Something was _wrong._

"Hello?"

"Preston! Oh, oh god, Preston, I didn't know who to call, I was just so worried! I've got the kids, they're in the waiting room, I'm watching them from the window. But one of your doctors just told me what's going on, oh god, Preston I don't know what to do..." The young woman's voice was high with emotion as she cried into the phone.

Burke tried to breathe, listening to the voice. "Lydia? Is that you? Okay, it's okay, calm down and tell me what happened."

"Preston...oh god, no one's told you...how can you not know..." The woman wailed louder into the phone.

Burke felt his chest tighten. "What are you talking about? Lydia! Lydia, you have to calm down. What's going on? Did something-Nate?"

There was a high, soft sobbing emancipating from the phone. "He got shot, Preston."

Burke felt his stomach muscles collapse, he had never had such a strong impulse to vomit. "Where are you? I'll catch the soonest flight-"

"Seattle, we're already in Seattle! Nate wanted to surprise you so we came early, but we were at a restaurant and there was a shooting...Oh god, Preston."

Preston Burke had never felt a fear quite like this, where an actual member of his family was in mortal danger. It hurt almost as much as watching Cristina collapse in his OR had, but there was something about this that seemed so much more real.

"Are you at Grace?" He whispered.

"Yeah," Mrs. Burke murmured.

"I'll be right there."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"How's he doing, Yang?" Bailey stepped into the private hospital room, taking in the still unconscious Nathan.

"Um...his wife was called, she's on her way up, she should be in here any minute."

"I meant medically."

It was the only time that Bailey had had to tell Cristina to use medical terms and not intrapersonal, instead of the other way around.

"Oh, um, BP is stable, stats are all as good as can be expected, but the wound was clean and the bullet came out smoothly with barely any complication."

"And what was that complication, Yang?"

Cristina winced. "The bullet slightly grazed the skull during resection, causing shattering of the bone that Dr. Shepherd repaired."

"Good. Now, you said the wife was on her way? You can explain what happened, and then find out how Dr. Burke feels about all this."

Cristina froze. "What do you mean?"

Bailey looked up, slightly angry. "I _mean,_ Dr. Yang, that you will be the one telling Dr. Burke about the situation ahead of us, and you might want to start paging him, because he got off call about half an hour ago after a surgery." Bailey smirked, and Cristina groaned.

"What was that, Dr. Yang?"

Cristina frowned. "Nothing, Dr. Bailey. Just getting ready to call."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Preston Burke entered the hospital at a sprint, taking off his soaking coat and wiping his feet on the mat.

"Excuse me. I need to find out where Nathan Burke is," he said to the woman at the reception table.

"Are you family?" The woman asked.

"He's my brother, and I'm Dr. Preston Burke. You know, _Head_ of Cardio-thoracic surgery. Now, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to find the chief?" Burke hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but something was erupting in him that made finding his brother immediately critical.

"Of course, sir," The woman said. "Nathan Burke...room 319. Under the care of Drs. Miranda Bailey and Cristina Yang."

Burke froze. "Bailey and _who_?"

The woman looked at him, hesitant that he would begin to yell again. "Cristina Yang, sir?"

Burke stared at her for a moment, then with a quick, "Thank you," sprinted towards the elevator.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cristina was pacing in front of Nathan's room, waiting for Burke to show up, when a small woman was led towards the room by a middle-aged nurse. The woman was in hysterics.

"Oh, god," she murmured. "Oh, god. Look at him." The woman was looking right into the window to Nathan Burke's room. Cristina watched her curiously.

"Are you talking about Mr. Burke? Oh, you must be his wife. I'm Cristina Yang, his doctor." Cristina nodded quickly.

"Oh, oh, you're the one who saved him," Lydia murmured, reaching forward to hug Cristina, who backed up instinctively. "I'm Lydia Burke, oh, my god, I'm sorry, I just can't believe this is happening..."

"It's okay. We often experience shock during an emergency room case. But I promise, Mr. Burke has _excellent_ shots of recovery. His brother, Dr. Burke, we just notified him and he's on his way. I couldn't get a hold of him, but when I paged him with a '911' he responded back."

"I already called Preston, he knows what's going on. He said he was coming right away, he should be here any minute." Lydia continued to shake, and Cristina looked at her with some uncertainly, not sure how to handle the situation.

"Well, if you want to go in, he's allowed a visitor," Cristina said finally. Lydia shook for another moment, then opened the door to Nathan's room and stepped inside. Cristina sighed, closing her eyes and leaning against the wall.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Cristina opened her eyes, looking at the man in front of her. "Burke!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


End file.
